One of the most emblematic motorcycle brands in the world, Ducati, is for sale. And there are car brands in the race for the acquisition of Borno Panigale's house. We bet on Mercedes…
The rumors are not new. Rumors have been circulating since August of last year that the Bonomi family, which owns Investindustrial – the holding that owns Ducati – would be trying to sell the brand.
But what until now were just rumors are now gaining density. The Financial Times tells us that the Bonomi family is in negotiations with various groups of investors, including the German brands Volkswagen and BMW. For Volkswagen it would be a debut in a market it has never been to. As for BMW, the motorcycle market is something that is in its genesis. Did you know that BMW has been producing motorcycles for longer than cars?
There are no indications that there is interest on the part of Daimler AG (owner of Mercedes-Benz) however, given the cooperation agreements that Ducati and Mercedes-AMG have signed, we believe that there may also be a legitimate interest on the part of the house. of Stuttgart in the acquisition of the Italian brand.
It would be a logical step, given the existing partnership. The acquisition of Ducati by Mercedes could open yet another line of competition with BMW: For the first time the two arch-rivals would face each other in the two-wheel market. But this is a scenario “made in Razão Automóvel” we don't hear anywhere. It's our feeling…
Conjectures aside, everyone is unanimous in stating that this is the best time to sell Ducati. The Italian brand is in excellent financial health, sales are booming, it has an up-to-date model range and the sporting results have been satisfactory. All that's left is for Valentino Rossi to get along as well with his GP12 as Carlos Checa with his 1198 with which he just won the SBK world championship.
Text: Guilherme Ferreira da Costa